Overview
Ancona's port system originated under the Guasco hill, where the city's history began and from which the Cathedral still dominates everything. This is confirmed by the elegant anti-Roman presence ofTrajan's Arch, although the present appearance of this northern side of the Port is not all in agreement with the period.
Rather recently, for example, is the appearance of the Fountain of the Two Suns, a work by Enzo Cucchi that picks up on the theme of the water spouts of the Càlamo Fountain: it pays homage to the unusual circumstance that in Ancona one can see both sunrise and sunset from the same geographical point. But other modern interventions had already taken place alongside the 14th-century harbour walls and the 18th-century Istrian stone of theClementine Arch, the latter designed as a gateway to the city by the same Vanvitelli who was working on the Mole in those years.
Arco and Mole were part of a radical overall renovation of the Port promoted by Pope Clement XII. The statue depicting him should have been placed right here, but ended up instead in Piazza del Plebiscito, which is not too far away - and which is absolutely central to the life of the city.
